


Memories That I'd Black Out If You Were Mine

by reindeerguardian



Series: Show Me Your Love [3]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6903193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reindeerguardian/pseuds/reindeerguardian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dib and Zim go shopping for prom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memories That I'd Black Out If You Were Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Part three! I meant to have this up in December but life got crazy. But here it is! Only one more part left after this :)

“Did you hear?” Cathy Harris was saying excitedly to Gretchen. “Andy Fortin just asked Melody West to Prom!” She squealed.  
Dib groaned to himself in annoyance. Everywhere he turned it was ‘prom this’ and ‘prom that’. Didn't these people have anything better to do? He quickly put away his calculus textbook and slammed his locker shut. He was greeted with Zim’s face in place of where his locker door had been.  
“What are those girls screaming about?” He asked curiously, eyeing them like an animal. The school bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Dib pushed him along.  
“They're flipping out over Andy Fortin and Melody West goin to Prom together.” He explained, making no attempt to hide his disgust. Zim rolled his eyes.  
“That was this morning. Everyone knows they broke up and now he's taking Zoe Brookes.” Zim chitted. Dib shook his head in bewilderment. Zim had adapted to high school life infinitely better than he had.  
“Whatever. I think prom is dumb.” Dib said. Zim laughed and turned to look at him.  
“You only think that because you don't have a date to accompany you.” Dib raised an eyebrow.  
“And you do?” he scoffed. Zim gave him a sly grin.  
“Of course. I was asked to go last night.” He smiled. “After my dinner date.” Dib was utterly taken aback. Zim had gone a date? Zim got asked to Prom?  
“You….went on a date? With who?” He asked incredulously. Zim flashed him a sharp toothed grin like a flirty schoolgirl.  
“Wouldn't you like to know, Dirt-Child.” He said, sticking out his tongue. Dib rolled his eyes.  
They walked outside into the mid-afternoon sunlight. Normally Dib would meet Gaz by the parking lot but she had been hanging out with Tak lately. It dawned on Dib that Tak had shown up again out of the blue for no reason at all. She had hardly spoken a word to him, or even Zim. If she were with anyone but Gaz he would be suspicious. But Gaz was smart and knew how to handle herself.  
“So do you need a ride home, Zim?” he asked the alien, whom he gave a ride home to everyday. Zim’s grin was ever-widening.  
“Not today Dib-Worm! I already have a ride.” Dib blinked in confusion as Zim waved goodbye to him, hopping into a sports car before it peeled out of the High School parking lot in a manner that was infinitely more annoying than it should have been. He stared, open mouthed, at the tire marks burned into the pavement. Dib snapped to attention, quickly turning to a kid walking to the left of him, he grabbed the kid by his shoulders.  
“Who was that?!” He asked. The kid stared at him with wide eyes, obviously not comprehending. Dib growled in frustration. “That sports car that just peeled out of here! Who was that?!” Recognition dawned over the kid's features.  
“Dude, that's Robbie Dillinger’s car. Y’know, Billy Dillinger’s older brother. Man, that car is a thing of beauty! What I wouldn't give f-” Dib shoved the kid away. He sprinted to his shitty Datsun and quickly got the hell out of there. He needed to clear his head.  
So Zim was with Robbie Dillinger. So what? He didn't care. He wasn't interested in Zim. Well, he was very interested in Zim, but not romantically. He was over Zim. Zim had gone on a date with Robbie Dillinger. Zim was going to Prom with Robbie Dillinger; the coolest, most pretentious rich kid in school. When Dib came out as bisexual two years ago, he was publically humiliated and beat up frequently. When Robbie Dillinger came out last year, he was met with overwhelming support and called “courageous” while Dib had only been called “faggot”. He grit his teeth angrily. Hadn't Zim said that he liked him a few months ago? How could he already be over it? It had taken Dib a year to recover from Zim’s rejection; it irked him that Zim could so easily be over him, and for Robbie Dillinger of all people.  
“It just doesn't make sense!” Dib yelled to Gaz later that evening as he paced about the living room. “Why him out of every possible candidate? He’s such a...a jerk! He's not even that good looking! He looks like a generic white guy cardboard cut out!” She looked up, very disinterested and slightly irritated, from her phone.  
“Maybe because Robbie Dillinger doesn't pace around the house screaming like a crazy person.” she suggested. Dib slumped into a nearby recliner and ran a hand through his hair. Gaz resumed her focus on her phone. “Why do you even care? I thought you were over Zim.” Dib groaned at that.  
“I am over Zim!”  
“Then start acting like it.” She said simply. Dib growled and promptly stood up, stomping his way out the front door.  
“I bet Robbie Dillinger doesn't stomp and throw fits!” Gaz yelled after him.  
Dib revved his engine and pulled out of the driveway. Taking a drive to catch his cool for the second time that day. Dumb ol’ Gaz. What did she know? He was the older one, the one with all the experience and knowledge. He didn't need her to tell him what to do. He cranked up the stereo, letting Tears For Fears lyrics sweep over him. It was almost soothing.  
He found himself driving past Zim’s house. He cursed, debating whether or not to park or keep driving. That's when he noticed Robbie Dillinger's car parked outside the house. He debated ramming into the sports car but he figured it was worth much more than his meager allowance could afford. He pulled over and parked on the opposite side of the street. A new thought dawned on him.  
Oh no.  
There was no way in hell Zim would take anyone to his base willingly. Something was wrong, he knew it. What if Robbie tried to get fresh? What if he found out Zim wasn't human? For some reason the former made his blood boil hotter than the latter, and that surprised him. He reached into the backseat and pulled out his laptop from his backpack. He hadn't used the security cameras he set up in Zim’s house in a long time but he prayed they were still active. He opened the program and to his great relief, three out of the four video feeds were streaming. He watched as Robbie sat on Zim’s couch. Gir was sitting beside him, oddly silent for once, simply staring at the rich kid. Zim came into view, approaching from another room. He sat down beside Robbie and shooed Get out of the room. Dib turned up the audio feed and watched with baited breath.  
“So. This is your house?” Robbie asked, looking around skeptically. Zim looked incredibly apprehensive. He chuckled nervously, patting his wig.  
“Eeyup, this is Zim’s home.” Dib could tell just how nervous the alien was as he switched into his old speech pattern of referring to himself in the third person. Zim cleared his throat. “There, now that you've seen it we can go, right?” Robbie gave him a charming grin that made Dib want to puke.  
“You want to leave? We just got here. Why don't you give me a tour?” he asked. “Maybe you can show me your bedroom?” he winked. Dib felt himself flare up with anger as he watched Zim’s fake eyes widen in realization. He blushed a dark shade of green and tried to stutter a response. Dib knew that Zim didn't even have a bedroom; he didn't really sleep. He had a charging cell down in the lab.  
“Uh….I don't think that's a good idea,” Zim stumbled over his words, leaning away from the human. Robbie blinked at him.  
“You're a virgin aren't you?” He asked. “Don't worry about it man. My first time was awkward as hell, but I promise I’ll make it good for you.” he said, voice lowering at the last half of his sentence, putting his hands on Zim’s hips. The look on the alien’s face was one of sheer terror. Robbie leaned in to kiss him.  
“Don't worry. You’ll like it once we get started, I promise.” Zim sat completely helpless for the first time that Dib had ever seen. He was clearly out of his element.  
Dib had never sprinted so fast in his life. Praying the lawn gnomes were deactivated he pounded on the front door. He could hear relieved clicking sounds from Zim on the other side. The door opened and Zim looked up at him, clearly surprised.  
“Ah, Dib! I didn't know you were coming over…” He trailed off, pointing towards Robbie with his eyes and mouthing ‘help me’. Dib nodded discreetly.  
“Follow my lead.” He whispered and the alien nodded desperately. Dib drew himself up as tall as he could.  
“What the fuck do you think you're doing?” Dib yelled at Zim, walking into the house quickly. “Who the fuck is this?” He cried pointing at Robbie. “Are you cheating on me?!” Robbie looked genuinely terrified. Dib did have a reputation for being insane, after all.  
“Woah, hey man, calm down! I didn't know he had a boyfriend, we didn't do anything, I swear!” Dib narrowed his eyes behind his glasses.  
“Bullshit! I saw you kiss him!” Dib did his best to look fucking irate, which wasn't far from the truth.Robbie was on his feet at this point, possibly debating whether he should bolt or not. Dib stepped towards him angrily but before he could get any further the rich kid had decked him in the face. Dib stumbled back, stunned. But Dib Membrane had been in more fistfights than this guy had dollar bills in his pocket. He grabbed Robbie Dillinger by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against a wall.  
“If I ever catch you with my boyfriend again, I’ll fucking murder you.” He snarled, dangerously low. He shoved Robbie outside and slammed the door. Assuming from the shrieks coming from the front yard, the lawn gnomes had been activated.  
Dib slumped tiredly onto the couch. Zim was staring at him like he had grown a second large head. He sat down next to him on the couch. They were silent for a moment.  
“So. Thanks.” Zim mumbled awkwardly. Dib nodded.  
“Of course man. I wouldn't let some pretentious asshole put his hands on you. Especially if you didn't want it.” He said quietly. “I don't think I’ve ever seen you so paralyzed. Usually you’ll beat the hell out of anyone who gets that close to you.” Dib laughed slightly. Zim twiddled his six fingers together.  
“My Invader training did not prepare me for a situation like that. Sexual reproduction is obsolete on Irk…” Zim trailed off. Dib cleared his throat.  
“Yeah well. There are a lot of creeps on Earth. I’m just sorry you had to find out first-hand.” Zim nodded in agreement.  
Gir came bouncing into the room, noticed Dib on the couch and clapped his hands in delight.  
“Master! Your date transformed! Like the froggy prince!” He cackled. Zim pulled off his disguise and sighed.  
“The worst part is he was my Prom date. Now I guess I’ll have to go stag.” Zim mumbled, tossing his wig despondently on the floor. Dib shrugged.  
“Prom is dumb. The only reason people even go is so they can bang their dates afterwards. It's an event for people who peak in high school.” Dib rambled. He watched as Zim sat up as though in revelation, antennae twirling in thought. He turned to look at Dib with his huge red eyes.  
“Will you go with me?” he asked. Dib stared at him in stunned silence.  
“What?”  
“Will you go to prom with me?” Zim said, obviously serious. “I know you think it’s dumb and whatnot, but this is really important to me. And you're really the only human I can trust.” Zim looked at the ground. “Believe me, I wouldn't ask my biggest enemy for any favors if it weren't important.” He mumbled. Dib bit his lip.  
“Okay.” He said quietly. Zim looked up at him and broke into a huge smile.  
“Really?” He breathed, ruby eyes gleaming, antennae shooting up with excitement. Dib smiled slightly.  
“Yeah, Zim. I’ll go to Prom with you.” He affirmed with a chuckle. Girl whooped in celebration.  
A few days later, Dib was just rolling out of bed, after having spent the night watching reruns of “Mysterious Mysteries” and hadn't gone to bed until late into the night; early morning. He looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table and yawned. It was nine in the morning. He rolled back over to bury himself in the covers, when his phone rang. Obnoxiously loud, it was “The Imperial March”; Zim’s ringtone. Dib sat up slowly, looking around and shuffling through his blankets for his cell phone.  
“Hello?” He said groggily.  
“Good morning Earth-Worm, I hope you slept well,” Zim’s voice came through, laced with false sweetness. “Because you and I are going to the mall today.” Dib groaned.  
“C’mon Zim, can't it wait? I had some stuff I wanted to catch up on today.” He argued tiredly. Zim clicked in annoyance.  
“If by stuff you mean season seven of “The X-Files”, then no. It can not wait. Prom is in two weeks and I still don't have anything to wear!” Zim was shouting into the receiver. Dib held his phone away from his face.  
“Okay, Okay,” Dib mumbled into the phone. “I’ll take you around noon, how’s that?” He could already see Zim’s smug face.  
“That is sufficient. Thank you Diiiib!” Zim drew out his name and gave it twice as many syllables as it required. Dib hummed in response and hung up. Noon. That gave him three hours of peace before he had to pick up Zim. He got up slowly, resigned to his fate. He made his way to the shower.  
Twenty minutes later he sat down at the kitchen table where Gaz already sat, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. It was a rare day in the Membrane household; Professor Membrane was home for the weekend. He was sitting across from Dib. Their father put down his newspaper and leaned forward.  
“So, son, do you have any plans for the day?” Dib looked up from the cereal box.  
“As a matter of fact, yes.” He said. Both Gaz and The Professor looked up at him in surprise. Dib swallowed. “Yeah, I’m taking Zim to the mall today,” He said casually between bites of cereal. “No big deal.”  
“You're taking Zim to the mall? Sounds like a date.” Gaz laughed. Dib shot her an angry look, which she reciprocated tenfold.  
“It’s not a date! He just wants to pick out something to wear to Prom.” Dib realized this was the wrong thing to say when both of their eyebrows shot up in disbelief.  
“You're going to Prom?” Professor Membrane cried excitedly.  
“With Zim?” Gaz added much less excitedly. Dib blushed and looked down into his bowl.  
“Yeah, so what?” He mumbled. Their father stared at him in silence for several moments before he spoke.  
“Son, I never thought I’d see the day you went to your senior prom.” Dib could hear the smile in his voice and it surprised him.  
“You're not...upset? That I’m going with Zim?” Dib asked. The Professor waved this away with a chuckle.  
“I saw it coming years ago.” He said simply. Gaz gave a noise like laughter at that. Dib smiled at him, relieved. They continued their breakfast in relative silence. It was a comfortable silence.  
Noon finally rolled around and Dib went to pick up Zim. The alien hopped into the passenger seat and buckled himself in, chittering excitedly about which stores to into once they got to the mall.  
“I’m thinking ‘Elegant Elephant’, but their stuff is somewhat overpriced. It’s generally worth it though, I was also thinking-”  
Dib stopped listening at this point. He already had a tuxedo, as he was occasionally required to attend formal events in his father’s honor. Dib was curious about how this whole trip would go down, though. He would probably have to pay for Zim’s suit; he’d never seen the Irken with Earth money in all the years they’d known each other. There was a song playing on the radio but he could hardly make out the lyrics over Zim’s speaking. He glanced at Zim when they stopped at a red light and he wondered how Prom was going to play out.  
They arrived at the mall around twelve forty. Zim was hopping ahead excitedly, stopping to point at anything that vaguely caught his interest.  
“Ooooh! Let’s go in there!” Zim shouted, ducking into a Dress Motel outlet. Dib tried to stop Zim, but he wasn't fast enough. He raced to catch up to him.  
“Zim,” Dib panted, “ This is a dress store!” Zim turned to look at him, brow cocked in obvious annoyance.  
“Obviously. Zim isn’t an idiot.” He said, rolling his fake eyes. Dib begged to differ but bit his tongue.  
“I mean....These outfits...They’re for girls…” Dib struggled to explain. Zim laughed and spun around to face him.  
“Do you think I care about your primitive Earth genders? In space there are over 40,000 different genders and Zim is none of them!” He cackled, turning on his heel to inspect a rack of long gowns. Dib shook his head in bewilderment. He forgot sometimes just how alien Zim really was. He recalled a few months ago when Zim had worn those tall, sparkling, hot pink high heeled shoes.  
‘Oh well. ‘ He thought. ‘ As long as he’s happy.’  
Dib sat on a bench in the outlet as Zim tried on numerous dresses in the dressing room. The sales attendant hadn't even seemed bothered by the fact that Zim was browsing through dresses. Perhaps the world was changing, he mused. She did however raise an eyebrow at him.  
“Is that your boyfriend?” She asked with a smile. Dib felt his face heating up and he coughed once before answering.  
“Um, no, he’s just my Prom date.” He mumbled. The attendant made a clicking sound with her tongue in understanding.  
“But you want to be his boyfriend.” She said knowingly. Dib opened and closed his mouth a few times. Did he?  
“I mean….I wouldn't be opposed to it…” He stumbled over his words trying to find a way to explain. She giggled and nodded.  
“I thought so.” She grinned before walking away. Dib was dumbfounded. What gave her the right to ask him about that? He was a little offended, honestly. There was a shout of acclamation from Zim’s little changing booth and Dib could hear Zim cursing in Irken with broken English sprinkled in.  
“You alright in there, Zim?” Dib asked, clearing his throat. Zim poked his head out of the door, motioning for Dib to come closer. Dib took a few steps forward tentatively. Zim rolled his eyes and grabbed Dib’s arm, dragging him into the dressing room. Dib was mortified, a blush settling over his features as he pushed up his glasses in embarrassment. He tried not to look but his curiosity got the better of him as he examined Zim’s skin.  
The alien stood with his back towards him, holding up a long, backless maroon colored dress around his front. It took Dib a moment to register that Zim was speaking to him.  
“...so if you could do that I’d be pretty obliged.” Zim finished dryly, looking at Dib expectantly in the mirror. Dib stood, blankly staring back at Zim before realizing he wanted him to zip up the back of the dress.  
“Uh. Yeah, sure.” Dib mumbled, his face was uncomfortably warm as he placed one hand on Zim’s smooth, green back. With his other hand he pulled up the zipper. It stuck once but Dib managed it just fine. Zim’s skin was cool to the touch and it reminded Dib vaguely of the day he’d kissed the alien on the roof two years ago. He jerked back as soon as the job was done, immediately regretting where this train of thought was taking him.  
Zim looked at himself in the mirror and gave a satisfactory nod. The same nod he gave a weapon of mass destruction when he deemed it stable enough to enact upon the Earth. He spun around like Cinderella, showing Dib the dress and how it fit on him. Dib was utterly speechless.  
The dress was a deep maroon pink color. It was strapless and backless; the bust was glittering and shimmering while the skirt cascaded to the floor like a waterfall of fairy’s blood. It was a bit too long, Zim picked up the skirt a little, showing off his lithe green legs. It was more of Zim than Dib had ever seen in all their years.  
“What do you think Dib-Worm?” Zim asked smugly, fully aware of how Dib was standing there, open mouthed in awe. The dress accentuated Zim’s thin, oddly feminine frame. The bust hung a little loosely over Zim’s flat chest, but he figured that could be easily altered. Dib blushed, quickly averting his gaze and stumbling out of the little room and tripping over awkward words of how ‘nice' Zim looked. Zim snorted at this behavior and resumed admiring himself.  
Zim was humming along contentedly to the car radio, pleased with his purchase. Or rather, Dib’s purchase. The human had been correct in his assumption that he would be paying for Zim’s outfit. It had been a bit more than he anticipated, but a happy Zim was a Zim less likely to bitch at him. Not to mention he did look really good in the dress. He glanced over at the alien, who had gotten into the cozy habit of taking off his disguise in Dib’s car. Dib was glad the windows were tinted.  
“Hey, Zim?”  
“Yes?” Zim hummed, antennae turning towards him to show he was listening.  
“Have you ever been to a dance before?” Dib asked curiously. “Do they have anything like that on Irk?” Zim’s antennae twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything for a moment.  
“There are not many events on my planet that do not involve slaughter. There is however the Tallest’s initiation ceremony. It’s a bit like these High School dances. You dress up in your best uniform, you mingle with the people of the planet in a friendly manner. There is no dancing. But it is a pleasant event.” Zim said, his voice twisted with nostalgia and Dib almost felt bad for asking.  
“Tell me about the Tallests.” Dib asked gently. Zim looked at him and cocked a non existent eyebrow.  
“Red and Purple? What’s to tell?” He responded.  
“I dunno.” Dib shrugged. “Are they a couple? Like a king and queen?” He asked. Zim gave a chittering sound that Dib translated to giggling.  
“It is rumored by rebels that the two are romantically inclined, but this is likely a lie made up to stir trouble for the empire.” He paused. “But between you and I, my old acquaintance Splot is a palace drone, and he claims to have seem the two engaged in romantic combat.” Zim grinned. Dib shook his head with a laugh.  
“Have they always been in charge?” Zim chuckled at this.  
“Tallest's have always been ‘in charge’, as you put it, since the beginning of civilized Irken society. These particular Tallest's however have not always been our leaders. Red and Purple were hatched the same planetary orbital axis cycle as me.” He grinned.  
“You were born the same day? That's interesting.” Dib mused. “So why did they grow so much and you didn't?” He asked, trying to find a careful way to ask this without upsetting the alien. Zim’s antennae wavered before drooping slightly and Dib decided not to mention the Irken’s height again after this.  
“The same reason I was banished, lied to, and ultimately stripped of my title as an invader.” Zim said flatly. “I’m a defect.”  
Dib slammed on the brakes so suddenly, the two of them went flying forward and he quickly thanked his lucky stars for seatbelts.  
Zim gave a shout of surprise, before shouting obscenities at Dib.  
“What the hell did you do that for?!” He shrieked. Dib turned to look at him, staring Zim straight in the eyes, a serious expression on his face.  
“Listen to me, Zim.” His voice was low. “You are not a defect.”  
Zim stared at him with glassy red eyes.  
“I don’t think you understand what I’m talking about.” Zim said slowly. “My Pak is defective.” Dib rolled his eyes in response and scoffed.  
“Just because you're different doesn't mean you're broken.” He said, pointedly. Zim, clearly out of his element and uncomfortable, simply shrugged and gave a wave of his hand; as though to simply wave the conversation away.  
“It doesn’t matter now anyways. Take me home, now.” Zim commanded. Dib sighed before putting the car back in drive.


End file.
